National Bible Week Encourages Americans to Return to Biblical Roots
The National Bible Association has launched two media campaigns to urge people to read the Bible.
As secular forces appear to become more influential, there still remains an intensely devout America that remembers that its roots are in Bible, according to the president of the National Bible Association.
"People say that we live in a post-Christian nation, but I don't think so," said Peter A. Giersch, whose ministry is sponsoring the National Bible Week, Nov. 20-26.
"I think we have two separate nations,” the Bible association president commented. “We have a very deeply Christian society right now – I think our nation is more Christian and in some ways more religious than any other nation in the world – but alongside this very deeply spiritual and devout nation is this nation that is very hostile to religion and frankly is very depraved."
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Giersch spotlights the Bible as the source of Western moral values, and he ominously questions what kind of world it would be without it.
"I think that any civilized society, like our own, is based upon certain unwritten codes and structures. And in the Western world, the code and the structures that underpin society are for the most part drawn from the Bible," he said. "I think that the Bible has served that purpose. If the Bible is gone, what other source do we have that can provide the sort of moral and social underpinnings for our society? I don't know."
The National Bible Association has launched two media campaigns to urge people to read the Bible.
Understanding that many American homes already contain a Bible, the 2005 billboard campaign shows a Bible in the drawer and tells motorists, “It’s there for a reason.” The association plans to produce and ship 3,000 to 5,000 billboards promoting Bible reading to media companies across the country.
In addition, 200,000 postcards that feature a picture of God's creation and a Bible verse will be sent out to churches that want them. Churches are urged to organize a “Let’s Encourage Bible Reading” event. The back of the postcard is blank except for a brief mention of Bible Week and the address of Bible reading Web sites and can be used by churches as free outreach material.
“God's Word is the rudder in my life, and I cannot imagine attempting to navigate life's challenges without it,” said Dean C. Borgman, former Chairman of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies. Borgman was honored as the 2005 National Bible Week "Chairman."
Although the spotlighted week occurs at the exact same time as National Family Week, Giersch said he does not mind.
"The Thanksgiving holiday means ‘it's a perfect time for families to recommit themselves to Bible reading,’" said Giersch. "There's plenty of room in this week for both.”
In fact, he said, Bible reading is just the thing for families to come together.
"I think that as families spend time together and spend time reading the Bible together and living according to biblical principles, those families will be happier, healthier and better serve our nation."
This year's unofficial theme is Psalms 46, a chapter that talks of the power of God in the midst of natural disasters, to help those cope with the hurricane disasters that devastated New Orleans and left of path of splintered homes, fallen trees, and uprooted families.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble," as the first verse in Psalms 46 states.
Since 1941, the National Bible Association has been an active proponent for biblical literacy and is an advocate for the appreciation of the historic role of the Bible in American life and culture.
